Mask



Dec. 30,1941'.-

MASK

Filed Aug. l5, 1940 Patented Dec. 30, 1941 UNITED STATES E NT @FFI C E 5 Claims.

The present invention relates to anadj'ustable mask used Y for administering an anaesthetic and is particularly designed and constructed to insure a substantial all-around iit with the` porof apatients face surrounding the nose'and mouth areas.

A particularv object ofi this invention isy to so construct amask ofthis characterA as'to enable it to be used either on a small child orf an adult, and is particularly adaptable for dental` work wherein the patient usually is put to sleepby an anaesthetic with his mouth proppedopen, thus `elongating the face and making it-necessary to cover an additional area of theface with the mask.

Another object of this invention is to provide a mask of this character which may bev easily and'iirmlygrasped by the person administering the anaesthetic.

- i Another object of this invention is to provide a mask having a substantial open area over vwhichv the gauze used therewith may be placed, inorder that the patient vmay breathe in considerable amounts of air with the anaesthetic, as is highly des-irable with certain anaesthetics.

A still further object of this: invention is to provide a substantially dat-surface on which the gauze may be placed, thus making it easier toV apply the gauze and to provide` a simple but effective fastening means for holding the gauze in placefon the mask.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a mask having a face-engaging portion shaped to certain critical portions of' a patients face which areV substantially. the same for most individuals, even though other portions of their faces Vary considerablyv in shape. More particularly, the mask is made to conform to the bridge ofthe nose at one end and to the hollow spot in the face between thelower lip and the chin, with theintermediate portion extending inwardly toward the face to a greater extent than those portions already referred to. These intermediate portions contact principally the fatty portions of the face, suchas the cheeks, and these fatty portions may be depressed without discomfort to the patient, various individuals havingthese fatty portions depressed to a more-or-less extent when the critical areas are in contact with the face as previously described.

Other objects of this invention will appear hereinafter as the description thereof proceeds, the* novel features,v arrangements and combinationsV being clearly set forth in the specification and in the claims thereunto appended.

In tliedrawing:v i

Fig. l'showsl a vertical section through the mask whichis shown applied' to the face of an individual to more clearly' illustrate its operation;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of' the mask shown applied to the. face of` an individual, but the mask in thiscase is in extended position;

Fig. 3 isa front elevation of my invention;

Fig. 4 is a section taken substantially along the line of Fig. 3;

Eig. 5`is a viewI partly in section of the means used fon retainingthegauze-on the mask;-

Fig. 6 is aplan; off a modified locking arrangement; andV Eig? is aA section on the line I-l of Fig. 6.

The mask comprises two relatively slidable portions t0 and`lfifwhich are somewhat U-shaped in generaleontour'as viewed in Fig. 3. The portions I0 and Ill are slidably interconnected and form a substantially closed igure frame-work whichis extensibley in a longitudinal direction or vertically-asviewedin Figs. 1, 2' and 3.

The-portion Iilfcomprises a side-wall portion lf2 formed from a at strip of' material which has the edges thereof turned outwardly and backwardly as at I3 and I4 to form smooth edges around the open faces of the mask. Similarly the portionV I' Ifl is made of a flat strip ofl metal I5 which-is alsofprovided with outwardly and backwardly turned edges I6 and I1.

The curvatures of the edges I3 and I4 are of substantiallyy smaller radii than the radii of the edges I6 and Il, as is clearly illustrated in Figs. Z'and 4L These edges I3 and I4 slide within the grooves formed interiorly by the edges I6' and I1 whereby the mask may be extended in a longitudinal directionL The friction between the edges iS'suiiicient' to hold the portions in adjusted relation but, if desired, any suitable means may-be provided for holding the portions Ill and Hf inadjusted position with respect to each other: One form of such means is shown in the form ofthe invention illustrated herein. A slot iinthe side wallof theportion Ill receives the shank of' a screw I 9 which has a head 20, the shank also being received within an opening 2l the member I'I (see Fig. 3) in which it may be-press-itted or alternately made integral with themember I`I as desired. A wing nut 22 is used to clam-p the members I0 and II in adjusted position.

In Fig. 1 vI have-illustrated in outline the prole 23'V of a face and with a mask (in section) shown -applied to this profile. It will be noted that the portions A and B recede slightly away from the general plane of the portion C of the face-engaging edge of the mask comprising the edges I4 and II previously described. Thus, when the edge I4 at position D is engaging the bridge of the patients nose 24 and the portion E of the edge I'I is engaging the hollow between the lip 25 and the chin 25, the intermediate portion C of the edge of the mask extends inwardly so that it will engage the fatty portions of the patients cheeks and depress the same to a moreor-less extent, depending upon the particular patient. Thus, an effective all-around sealing of this edge against the face of the individual is effected.

In Fig. 1 the mask is illustrated as being applied to the face of a patient, such as a child, and this position of adjustment makes the mask of the smallest size permitted by the particular adjustment shown. When the same patient is to have teeth extracted generally his mouth is propped open, as in Fig. 2, and in this case the mask is extended to compensate for the elongation of the patients face. The mask has suincient adjustability to accommodate itself to the face of an infant or that of an adult in either the closed position of the mouth or the open position thereof, except perhaps in rare instances where a patients face may vary somewhat from general classification.

The other edge of the mask at the opposite face thereof is substantially in one plane providing a fiat surface over which the gauze 21 may be placed, the gauze being supported by the bars 23 and 29 spot-welded or otherwise fastened to the edges of the portions I and II respectively. The gauze is extended over the edges against the nat walls I0 and I5 and is held in place by a closely wound spiral spring 3D constructed as illustrated more particularly in Fig. 5. The spring is made endless and has a metal clip or shank 3| soldered or otherwise fastened thereto and is provided with a ring 32 which may be grasped so as to permit of the easy application and removal of the spring and particularly to aid in the removal thereof. In order to prevent too much extension of the spring, it is provided with an endless cord 33 arranged interiorly thereof so that the stretch is limited thereby. Such a spring may also be employed in the case where friction alone holds the parts in adjusted position to prevent any such elongation of the frame-work as vwould cause the parts to become separated.

It will be noted that this mask has a substantially vertical wall extending entirely about the same and this enables the operator to readily grasp it and hold it when applying or removing the mask. 'I'he mask is preferably made of metal and coated with a substance which will be inert to the anesthetic to be used therewith. Instead of the bars 28 and 29, a screen arrangement may be employed or the bars may be more or less in number than illustrated. The mask is sufficiently deep so that it may be successfully used with patients having relatively large noses.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown another way to hold the two sections in adjusted position, Here I show the one section I0 with a series of holes 34 formed therein. The other section has a spring 35 welded thereto as at 36. The spring carries a detent 31 in the form of a pin which may be selectively engagedin any of the holes 34 in section I5. The spring can be raised to release the detent by inserting the nger nail or other object under the end thereof. If desired a friction spring could be inserted between the two sections I0 and I5 to hold the sections against relative movement under the relatively small force exerted by a iiat bowed spring fastened to one section and engaging the other.

The petcock 38 shown in Fig. 2 may be applied to the wall of the mask so that oxygen may be supplied to the patient during administration of the anaesthetic.

The device is such that it can be readily formed from flat sheet metal by suitable dies and is of such a construction as to be readily sterilized after or before being used. It eliminates rubber cushions or pads employed by certain types of masks, which pads deteriorate in use and are hard to keep sterilized and are sometimes affected by the sterilization processes or by the anaesthetic which is employed. It has a suciently open area over which the gauze is placed to enable the patient to breathe freely to thus enable him to get a sufficient amount of air or oxygen into his system, along with the anaesthetic.

vObviously those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains may make various changes in the particular construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of this invention or the scope of the appended claims, and therefore I do not wish to be limited except as may be set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A mask comprising a closed figure framework having at least two sections longitudinally adjustable with respect to each other to permit variation in the over-all size of the frame-work in a longitudinal direction, the frame-Work being open at one of the opposite faces thereof to freely receive at least the nose and lips of the patient, the edges of the framework adjacent the said open face receding somewhat at each end away from the general plane of the face so that the intermediate portions of the face may rmly engage the cheeks of the patient while the end portions engage, respectively, the bridge of the patients nose and the hollow portion of the face between his lips and chin, lthe other side of said frame work being open also whereby the anaesthetic may be administered through this latter said open face, said frame-work comprising two substantially U-shaped members having their open ends opposed to each other and the side thereof slidably guided by each other.

2. A mask comprising a closed figure framework having at least two sections longitudinally adjustable with respect to each other'to permit' variation in the over-all size of the frame-Work in a longitudinal direction, the frame-work being open at one of the opposite faces thereof to freely receive at least the nose and lips of the patient, the edges of the frame-work adjacent the said open face receding somewhat at each end away from the general plane of the face so that the intermediate portions of the face may firmly engage the cheeks of the patient while the end portions engage, respectively, the bridge of the patients nose and the hollow portion of the face between his lips and chin, the other face of the frame-work being open also, and means for retaining a piece of gauze or the like over said latter-mentionedY face, said frame-work comprising two substantially U-shaped members having their open ends opposed to each other and the sides thereof slidably guided by each other.

3. A mask comprising a closed figure framework having at least two sections longitudinally adjustable with respect to each other to permit variation in the over-all size of the frame-work in a longitudinal direction, the frame-work being open at one of the opposite faces thereof to freely receive at least the nose and lips of the patient, the other face of the frame-work being open also, and means for retaining a piece of gauze or the like over said latter-mentioned face, comprising an endless spring adapted to encircle the frame-work and hold the edge of the gauze thereagainst, and an inextensible endless cord of slightly larger length than the retracted length of the spring for limiting the extension of the spring and the largest size to which said frame-work may be extended 4. An anaesthetic mask comprising two substantially U-shaped members tted together with their legs in overlapping relation to form a body open at two ends, the edges of both members of said body at one end having curled portions which intert to provide slidable engagement between said members, said curled portions having substantially smooth outer surfaces for engagement with the face of a patient, the edges of both members of said body at the other end also having curled portions which intert to provide slidable engagement between said members. v

5. An anaesthetic mask comprising two substantially U-shaped members iitted together with their legs in overlapping relation to form a body open at two ends, the edges of both members of said body at one end having curled portions which interi-it to provide slidable engagement between said members, said curled portions having substantially smooth outer surfaces for engagement with the face of a patient, the edges of both members of said body at the other end also having curled portions which interi-it to provide slidable engagement between said members, means for retaining a piece of gauze or the like over the last mentioned end of said body, said last mentioned curled portions serving to prevent accidental removal of said means.

LOUIS L. GREENBLUM. 

